Method of making dispensing container



March 26, 1968 c. 1.. JARRETT 3,374,527

METHOD OF MAKING DISPENSING CONTAINER Original Filed Oct. 15, 1963 5Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATro/QA/Es March 26, 1968 c. L. JARRETT 3,374,527

METHOD OF MAKING DISPENSING CONTAINER Original Filed Oct. 15, 1963 5Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. CAQL L. JAE/2577' ATTO/ZA/E March 26, 1968 5. L.JARRETT 3,374,521

METHOD OF MAKING DISPENSING CONTAINER Original Filed Oct. 15, 1963 3Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. CARL L. L/ARQETT A TTO/Z/VEV United States Patent3,374,527 lVIETI-IOD OF MAKING DISPENSING CONTAINER Carl L. Jarrett,Kansas City, Mo, assiguor to Consolidated Thermoplastics Company, LosAngeles,

'Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original application Oct. 15, 1963,Ser. No. 316,327, now Patent No. 3,255,937, dated June 14, 1966. Dividedand this application Sept. 18, 1964, Ser. No. 404,997

1 Claim. (Cl. 29-434) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method forfabricating a plastic container having a body portion and a cap portionwherein a seal is effected between the body portion and cap portion byflexing flanges on the upper end of the body portion inwardly thereofwhen the cap is attached to the body portion.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 316,327 filed Oct. 15, 1963,now U.S. Patent No. 3,255,937.

The present invention is directed to a method of making a plasticdispensing container.

It is desirable to have a two piece plastic container which dispensesmaterial therefrom through a top opening sealable by a closure memberjoined to the container body so that removal of the closure member isditflcult. The closure member preferably is rotatable to and from opento closed positions.

It has been the practice in the past to blow mold the body portion ofthe container and provide a two or three piece closure member.Frequently the neck of the container body portion receives an insertableplug and an overcap is mounted on the container neck and plug. Theovercap is rotatable to align holes in the cap and plug for dispensing acommodity from the container. Containers of this character are expensivesince it is necessary to separately mold and assemble the various partson the plug and overcap to the container after filling the container.Furthermore, the quantity of plastic necessary to form this typecontainer is substantial, thus increasing the cost of the finishedcontainer. The present invention provides a two piece container whereinthe container body is formed in a unique shape and is adapted to receivea single piece closure, which is rotatably mounted on the container formovement from and to dispensing and closed positions.

The method of fabricating the container according to the presentinvention is unique in that it includes the utilization of a portion ofthe plastic material which is normally a waste portion on the containerbody. This waste portion is utilized for supplying the opening in thetop of the container by a simple trimming ope-ration. The container neckportion and opening may also be formed without the waste portion byinjection molding the top of the container body and extruding anintegral parison which is subsequetly blown to the desired shape.

The apparatus used for fabricating a container according to the presentinvention includes several well-known types used in the blow moldingindustry. These apparatuses extrude a parison (horizontally orvertically primarily), enclose the parison in mold shells having aninternal cavity of the desired configuration, and introduce pressurizedair (other gas or fluid) into the parison to expand the parison againstthe cavity. The head portion, including the neck, of the container maybe injection molded prior to extruding the parison thereby minimizingthe secondary trimming, coring, etc., operations necessary on the blownparison.

In the drawings I have shown the present preferred embodiment of myinvention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a blown container body after it isremoved from the mold shells at a blow molding station;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the container body of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective of the container body of the prior figures,with the waste portion removed;

FIGURE 3A is a cross section taken on line 3A-3A of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the container body,specifically the upper end thereof, with the waste portion removed andthe opening cored out;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical cross section of the container upper end, takenon the axis of the container body, with th waste portion removed,showing the maximum extent of the top opening in the container body;

FIGURE 6 is a cross section taken on line 6-6 of FIG- URE 9, showing aclosure member positioned on the upper end of the container body;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation view of the closure member positioned onthe upper end of the container;

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of the container showing the closure innon-dispensing or closed position;

FIGURE 9 is similar to FIGURE 8 but showing the closure in dispensing oropened position;

FIGURE 10 shows a modified form of the invention wherein the upper endof the container body is provided with a keyhole shaped opening;

FIGURE 11 is a cross section taken on line 11-11 of FIGURE 10;

FIGURE 12 is a view similar to FIGURE 11 with the waste portion removedfrom the container body;

FIGURE 13 is a top plan view of the modified form of the container andclosure with the closure in a first opened or dispensing position;

FIGURE 14 is a view similar to FIGURE 13 with the closure in a secondopen or dispensing position;

FIGURE 15 is a cross section taken on line 1515 of FIGURE 13; and,

FIGURE 16 shows various other modified forms of my invention andspecifically shows a top plan view of the container body havingtriangular, circular, square and diagonal openings therein.

Briefly, the present invention is directed to a method for fabricating aplastic container formed from polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, etc.,and adapted to dispense a commodity contained therein. The containerincludes a chamber formed by side and bottom walls of any desiredconfiguration, a neck-like structure on the upper end of the side wall,a peripheral flange integral with the neck-like structure extendinginwardly toward the chamber and the longitudinal axis of the container.The inner edges of the flange form a dispensing and filling passage forthe chamber. The inner edges of the peripheral flange have a variety ofconfigurations but must provide a flange having areas which extendradially inwardly a greater distance than other areas of the flange.Thus, the flange has areas that extend radially at varying distances. Aclosure is provided for the top of the container and has at least onedispensing opening. The closure is rotatably mounted on the containerand the opening in the closure is positionable over either an openportion of the dispensing passage or over a portion of the peripheralflange. When the opening in the closure is over the peripheral flange,the container is in a closed or non-dispensing position and when theclosure opening and dispensing passage are aligned, the container is inan open or dispensing position.

The method according to the present invention includes the formation ofa plastic mass into a plastic container body in the conventional mannerby extruding a parison and blowing the parison to conform with theinside surfaces of a mold. The container body is blown with a neckextension on the upper end. This neck extension has a cross-sectionalperiphery which is less than the upper end cross section of thecontainer body. The neck extension is connected to the container body bya peripheral flange extending substantially normal to the axis of thecontainer body. This container neck extension is severed from thecontainer body to provide an opening in the upper end of the containerbody for filling and dispensing. The specific configuration of the neckextension determines the configuration of the opening in the container.

Referring specifically to the drawings and to the preferred embodimentshown in FIGURES 1 through 9, the container body has a hollow chamberenclosed by a side wall and a bottom wall 21. The upper end of the sidewall has a neck portion 22. The body 20, bottom wall 21 and neck portion22 can be of any desired configuration but illustratively they are shownas a round container. A hollow neck extension 23 is provided integralwith the upper end of the container neck portion, and FIGURES 1 and 2illustrate its form as removed from the blow mold. The neck extension 23is integrally joined with the neck portion 22 by a radially extending,peripheral flange 24. The flange 24 extends from the upper edge of neckportion 22 inwardly, substantially horizontally, and is joined with thelower end of the neck extension 23. A control opening 23a in the neckextension provides ingress for blowing the parison to its blow moldedform.

I have shown the neck portion in its preferred embodiment having anoutstanding rib 25 on its outer surface to which the closure isremovably attached in the manner to be described hereinafter. The rib 25can be formed of two coextensive, spaced ribs to provide stops forrotation of the closure thereon.

The flange 24 preferably extends upwardly from the horizontal about 5 inthe preferred embodiment (see FIGURE 4), although it is within the scopeof this invention to vary this angle between 2 and 8 from thehorizontal. The purpose of this angle is to insure sealing between theflange and closure as will be described hereinafter.

Referring to FIGURE 3, the neck extension 23 is severed from thecontainer body after molding, and specifically from the neck portion 22by a cutting knife or the like by severing the extension 23 at its pointof juncture with the flanges 24. Preferably the cutting knife is at thesame angle from the horizontal as the flange 24.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1-3, I have shown a star shapedopening 26 which is formed upon removal of the neck extension 23. In thestructure shown in FIGURES 4 through 9 this star shaped opening 26 V hasbeen cored out in a circular configuration to blunt the points at 27 toprovide a minimum filling opening in the center of the container body.Although this coring operation to blunt the points is not necessary,many consumers require a minimum filling diameter for the container.

FIGURES 6 through 9 illustrate a preferred form of closure 28 which hasa flat top portion 29 having a plurality of equally spaced holes 30therein and a depending integral skirt 31 knurled on its outer surfacefor gripping by the user and having an internal groove 32 (preferablydiscontinuous) which receives the rib 25 on the neck of the container.It should be noted that when the closure 28 is snapped onto the upperend of the neck 22 it is held in position by the rib or ribs 25 enteringthe groove 32 and the flange 24 is forced or bent downwardly until it issubstantially horizontal and normal to the axis of the container (seeFIGURE 6). Due to the memory of plastic materials, such as polyethyleneand polypropylene, the flange 24 is tightly engaged against the undersurface of the top wall portion 29 Of the closure thereby providing aneffective seal between the portion 29 and flange 24 to prevent thecommodity in the container from sifting out when the closure is in theclosed position.

Referring to FIGURES 8 and 9, the holes 30 are spaced in a circularradial configuration such that upon rotation of the closure 28 by asliding movement of the groove 32 along the rib 25, the holes 30 arealternately positioned in the apexes 33 of the star opening 26 (seeFIGURE 9) or, upon further rotation of the closure, the openings 30 arepositioned over the flange 24, and since the flange is biased tightlyagainst the under surface of the wall 29 of the closure, the openings 30are respectively sealed and the commodity cannot be dispensed from thecontainer by inversion of the container.

FIGURE 10 illustrates a modified form of the invention, patterned afterthe form previously described, in which the opening and neck extensionhave a cross sectional keyhole shape 35, including a side wall portion36 and an upper end 36a forming an opening which receives the blowingmandrel in the blow molding machine to blow the parison. A peripheralflange 37 is integral with the upper end 22 of the container neck andjoins the neck extension 35 at its inner extremity. FIGURE 12illustrates a cross section view similar to FIGURE 11, in which the neckextension 35 has been removed thereby providing an opening 38 having akeyhole shape. The neck extension is removed by a cutting knife or thelike as previously described. As noted in FIGURE 13, it is importantthat the slot portion 39 of the keyhole opening be closer to the edge ofthe neck 22 than is the circular portion 38 of the keyhole. The circularportion 38 provides the minimum size filling opening as previouslydescribed. The flanges 37 are preferably formed at a slight angle to thehorizontal in the same way as hereinbefore described with respect to thepreferred embodiment.

FIGURES l315 illustrate aclosure usable on the modified form of theinvention similar in construction to the previously described closurewith the exception of the specific construction of the openings in theclosure. In this embodiment a large opening 40 'is' provided in theclosure, and a plurality of small openings 41, closely grouped together,are provided adjacent thereto. The openings 40 and 41 are located on theclosure such that upon rotation of the closure by sliding the groove 32on nb 25, the opening 40 can be positioned over the slot portion 39 ofthe opening in the container body to dispense a solid stream of thecommodity from the container (see FIGURE 13), or upon further rotationof the closure the small holes 41 can be positioned over the slotportion 39 of the opening in the container body (see FIGURE 14) suchthat the commodity from the container can be sprinkled out in finestreams from the container. Upon further rotation of the closure theopenings 40 and 41 can be positioned away fromslot portion 39 of theopening and over flange 37 of the container thereby preventingdispensing from the container by inversion thereof.

The flange 37 is bent or forced downwardly by the closure, as shown inFIGURE 15; to insure an effective seal between the closure and flange toprevent sifting of the commodity from the container.

FIGURE 16 illustrates various other modified opening configurations forthe container body and all of these openings are fabricated in themanner described above with respect to the star shaped and keyholeshaped openings. Specifically the figure shows a plan view of atriangular opening 45, an offset circular opening 46, a square opening47 and a slot opening 48. It may be appreciated that the closures shownin the other figures or various other modified closures can be used withthe openings shown in FIGURE 16.

In fabricating a container according to the present invention, it ismerely necessary to use a blow mold having a configuration of thedesired form and to blow a plastic parison against the internal surfacesof the container The neck extension 23 or 35 is then removed by severingit from the container body with a cutting knife or the like. The closuremembers are preferably injection molded from plastic materials in aWell-known manner.

:While I have described the present preferred embodiment of myinvention, it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of thefollowing claim.

I claim:

1. A method for fabricating a plastic container having a body portionwith an integral top neck portion and a neck extension portion integralwith the neck portion, comprising:

(a) positioning a mold to receive 'a plastic parison, said mold havingcavities defining said body portion, said top neck portion and said neckextension portion, the cavities being substantially axially aligned, theneck extension portion cavity having surfaces more remote from thelongitudinal axis of the cavity defining the top neck portion includingsurfaces defining a peripheral, radially extending flange joining thetop neck portion with said neck extension portion defining cavity;

(b) positioning a hollow plastic parison inside said mold cavities;

(c) introducing pressurized fluid internally of said parison to expandit into conformity with the surfaces of the cavities, includingexpansion in the neck extension cavity to form a part of the containerwhich has wall sections more remote from the longitudinal axis of thepart than other wall sections, and including expansion of part of theparison into conformity with the surfaces defining said flange to form'a continuous, peripheral, radially and slightly axially extendingflange joining the top neck portion with the neck extension portion;

(d) removing the molded article from the mold after the plastic hasrigidified;

(e) removing only the neck extension portion from the molded article bysevering the junction line between said flange and said wall sections ofthe neck extension portion to provide an opening in the neck portiondefined by the inner edge of said flange which has flange p'artsextending radially inward more than other flange parts;

(f) positioning a closure member adjacent said neck portion, saidclosure member having a perforated planar Wall adapted to close theopening in said neck portion, and an integral peripheral skirt adaptedto engage the outer Wall of the neck portion to rotatably mount theclosure member on the neck portion;

(g) forcing the closure member toward the neck portion and intoengagement with said flange; and,

(h) deflecting said flange axially inwardly of the neck portion untilthe closure skirt engages and holds the closure member on said neckportion, said flange resiliently engaging the planar wall of the closuremember to provide an effective seal therebetween, and said closuremember being rotatably mounted to permit alignment of the perforation inthe closure Wall with the opening in the neck portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1913 Russell.

4/1963 Abt 264-98

